Poughkeepsie (64 page)

Beckett shook his head and opened his jacket for all to see.

John sighed. “Livia, even if I decide to let him stay, how can I ask that of the other guys?”

Livia turned to face the row of dignified police officers. “You can’t, Dad, but I can. Would it be okay? Could you guys possibly let him be the best man?”

Finally, after some murmuring and grumbling, the officers nodded.

“Thank you so very much.” Livia knew they must deeply respect her father to grant such a request.

John accepted Livia’s exuberant hug. “Yup, all right. Better get up there and get married already. Time to let Blake have the pleasure of your nagging for the rest of
his
days,” he said.

Gentle, tension-soothing laughter spread through the crowd, and John simply turned his back on Beckett and returned to his seat.

The brothers could not contain their enthusiasm. They wrapped their forearms together and pounded backs. Beckett and Blake each offered Livia the crook of an arm as they went back up the aisle.

“Baby, you didn’t have to do that,” Beckett whispered fiercely. “But thank you so fucking much. You look gorgeous today.”

Livia kissed his cheek and let go of his arm so he could hug Kyle.

“Hey, Fairy Princess, I think you may be the hottest married chick alive right now,” Beckett said.

Kyle hugged him and punched him in the arm at the same time. Cole resumed his place and opened the Bible, signaling the return of decorum.

“Let’s start over. The sun still hangs by a thread in the sky for us. Please accept our humble thanks, Lord. The beauty you have wrapped around this loving couple tonight is the perfect backdrop.” Cole gestured grandly at the spectacular show behind him.

The river was a silver mirror reflecting the rippling colors. The sun glowed red, as deep as love, as it headed for the horizon, and the clouds flaunted pinks and oranges.

Cole reached into his pocket and handed Beckett the bag with the rings. He held them gently in a cupped hand for a moment and smiled down at them. Then he put them in his pocket and held his head high.

“Blake and Livia have come before us today to declare their promise,” Cole said. “They will fill their hearts with only each other and their love. It is our job as witnesses to support them and to send them positive thoughts when we think of this day and their life’s journey together.” Cole made a point to gaze at those seated before him. “The couple has prepared their own vows. Livia, would you like to go first?”

Livia nodded and unwrapped a pink page from the stem of her bouquet. She spoke softly, so only Blake could hear her. But the audience felt the moment by watching Blake’s eyes as she spoke.

Livia read from the paper as if it were a letter. “Dear Blake Hartt, thank you. Thank you so much for thinking my smile was worth waiting for. Thank you for letting me see who you are inside. I found the sweetest spot in the world—it’s wherever you are, surrounded by your arms. Please be my husband. I couldn’t have it any other way. I promise to make you lose count. Love, Livia McHugh.”

When she’d finished, Blake took the paper from her hands. He folded it and put it in his pocket, where it nestled side by side with his music. He kissed her ringed hand, and then her bare one. He had no paper, but he spoke clearly and unhesitatingly. There was a slight echo as his words bounced around the cement platform. He borrowed her letter format to respond.

“Dear Livia McHugh, I’ll be your husband. I’ll be nothing but yours for the rest of forever. A single, simple day with you is something I’ll refuse to take for granted. You have been the reason my heart beats since the moment I saw you, long before your hands actually had to do the job for me. Sleep in my arms. Wake up by my side. My beautiful love, be my wife and make me the happiest man. And I will never, ever lose count. Love always, Blake Hartt.”

Livia had to cover her mouth again, and her tears slipped over her fingers. She smiled after a moment and opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out.

Finally Cole spoke. “Shall we exchange rings?” He nodded at Beckett, who let the rings fall into Cole’s hands as if it were the most important job he’d ever done. Perhaps to him it was.

Livia removed her hand from Blake’s to take his ring from Cole’s palm. She kissed the ring and prepared to place it in its permanent home on his finger.

“Repeat after me,” Cole instructed. “This ring is a token of my love. I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am.”

Livia said her words and placed the ring. Her smile was huge. Blake counted again. Livia pulled off her engagement ring and held her now bare hand out to Blake.

Blake didn’t give Cole a chance to repeat his script. He remembered each of Livia’s words. “This ring is a token of my love,” he said. “I marry you with this ring, with all that I have and all that I am.”

He took the engagement ring from her right hand and slipped that on her left as well. Livia stepped into his arms and kissed him, her previous shyness overwhelmed by joy.

Cole laughed. “And you may keep kissing the bride. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Blake Hartt.”

He clapped, and the crowd stood to offer their congratulations. Blake whirled Livia into a dip and continued to kiss her, while Beckett whooped and Kyle whistled loudly. The train rumbled in behind the guests, the clattering wheels adding their noise to the standing ovation.

The unusual sight before them momentarily disoriented the passengers tumbling off the train. Blake and Livia came up for air, laughing and smiling at the crowd. Some commuters just powered up the red-covered stairs with nothing but a second glance. Most took a few steps forward and stood respectfully, taking in the romantic scene. The train had a schedule to keep and rumbled out of the station.

As the applause quieted down, a single loud voice came from the back of the crowd. “What’th the problem here? Let me through!”

An oily man with a horrible comb-over pushed his way through the spectators.

Livia and Blake’s eyes widened.
Homeleth Humper!
she mouthed silently.

“Thith ith ridiculouth. Blocking a whole platform for thith carrying on? It’th dithguthing.” He scanned the crowed with his beady eyes. When he finally spotted Blake and Livia, he was as shocked as they were. He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it when he noticed a group of police officers rising to their feet.

John held out his badge. “Is there a problem, sir? We have a permit to be here.”

A panicked, slippery look engulfed the man’s face. “I wath talking on my phone, not to you people.”

John looked the man up and down. “You
do
realize you’re not actually holding a phone right now?”

The man looked at his empty hands. Then he took off running up the stairs, almost toppling a bank of candles. As he departed, Livia and Blake got down to the business of accepting congratulations from their guests.

“Hey, everyone, the reception is right across the way in Firefly Park,” Kyle announced, taking it upon herself to direct traffic. “You can either walk or drive. The wedding party will be over right after pictures.”

Beckett posed joyfully with his brothers as the photographer took shot after shot, maximizing the sun’s final dramatic show and the candles’ warm glow in the background. The wedding planner’s assistants began dismantling the magical wedding setting.

After smiling for a family photo with his daughters, John announced, “All right. I talked to the boys. Beckett, you can stay for the reception.” He nodded while he granted the reprieve. “Afterward, we’ll bring you in for questioning.”

John turned to leave, but Blake caught his attention. “Sir, thank you. It means the world to me that he’s here.”

“Yup. No problem, son.” John stepped around the scurrying assistants, and rejoined Kathy to head for the park.

Blake pulled Livia to him. “How do you manage to be so brave every day?”

Livia put a hand on his smooth jaw. “I should ask you. Seeing you stand—here, of all places—in the sun to wait for me was amazing.”

After they finished the pictures, Kyle made sure the bride and groom got a moment alone on the empty and now darkening train platform.

“We’ll see you guys over there,” she hollered over her shoulder, permission and a threat all rolled in one.

Blake ran his hands over Livia’s bare shoulders. “Tonight, I’ll make sure every part of you knows you got married.”

Livia got on her tiptoes and nipped at his earlobe to show her appreciation.

“Can I give you my gift now?” Blake reached in his pocket.

“You gave me this already.” Livia wiggled her ring finger.

He unfolded the music and held it open for her.

“You wrote me a song,” she gasped. “I love it, though you know I can’t read music.” She kissed his lips and held the paper against her heart.

“Wait! Oh my gosh. Let me get your gift.” She grabbed a gift bag Kyle had left by the steps. Just before she could hand it to him, she pulled it back. “But what if you hate it? It’s either perfect or horrible. Now I’m worried.”

Blake tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “It’s perfect. I’m sure of it. Hand it over.”

Livia looked sheepish as he moved the tissue paper out of the way. He unrolled the familiar-shaped cardboard and stared at the keyboard she had painstakingly drawn.

Livia tried to cover her worry with words. “I’m not sure if I should have replaced it. I mean, I know nothing could replace it. I tried to get the keys right. I went through like ten boxes and—”

Blake could move quickly when he wanted to, and she gasped as he kissed her mid-word. He finally stopped long enough to thank her. “Every time I think I couldn’t love you a bit more, you stretch my heart again.”

“So play it! Play my song. Please?” Livia sat down on the platform, right where she’d been standing.

Blake sat down as well, facing her. The moon now claimed the sky as hers, surfacing slowly over the trees. Blake tested her hand-drawn keys, and in his head he heard a full piano play his heart out loud for her.

Livia clapped when he was done. She put her hand behind his head and pulled his lips close. “I think I heard it,” she whispered before kissing him.

Kyle’s shrill voice interrupted their moment. “Figured you two would turn this into a scout meeting. Will you get your asses up here? People are waiting. I mean Beckett here has maybe a few hours before he’s bent over a metal toilet getting it up the ass from a guy named Bubba. Do you want him to have fun now or not?”

The streetlight illuminated Beckett as he appeared next to Kyle. “Why would I be the bitch? I don’t think that’s a fair fucking assumption.”

Kyle refused to look at him and crossed her arms. “Of course you’d be the bitch. You have dimples. Bitches have dimples. And I bet your ass is soft like two pillows. Bubba’s going to love bouncing off of you.”

Beckett stormed away, dragging Kyle with him. “I’ll be the fucker,” he told her. “Not the fuckee. The fucker.”

“Fine, asshole, you’re the fucker,” Kyle’s voice faded away as they returned to the party.

Livia touched Blake’s chest. “We’d better go. Sounds like they need us up there. Are you ready?”

Blake stood, rolled up his piano, and tucked it back in the bag. “I’m totally ready.”

He held out his hand to Livia and pulled her up easily. Hand in hand they walked over to their reception. Lorraine’s music carried over the water, treating neighboring towns to the celebration as well. All the little trees around the picnic tables had been wrapped in white lights. The candles from the ceremony had been relit in the park, giving the evening a flickering, twinkling glow. The portable dancefloor could scarcely hold the happy crowd as Kyle and Beckett entertained with intricate dancing that looked almost like fighting. Between every song, however, Kyle took a time out to snuggle with Cole.

Soon John and Livia shared their dance, and John laughed out loud when Kyle horned in and made it a three-way love sandwich. After the dance, Beckett grabbed a champagne glass from a covered picnic table and stepped up onto it so everyone could see him.

“Hey! Listen up, everybody! I’m Beckett, and I’m the best man here. I do believe it’s part of my job to give a speech.”

Blake and Livia looked at each other, silently wishing for only clean words from their colorful, criminal groomsman. The crowd quieted, and Lorraine turned the dance music down.

“Blake, Cole, and I have been family for each other, because the ones we started with were for crap. Why they let me in, I still don’t know. But because they did, I believed I was worth more than I would have otherwise.” He nodded and gathered his thoughts for a moment.

“Blake’s company made me want to hug trees and hear music. Cole’s company made me want to try harder to be a better person. I never imagined that anyone could love either of these men enough for me to let them go.”

A warm breeze blew as the giant man stopped to compose himself. The guests could almost smell the promise of summer.

“But I didn’t know about the McHugh girls. Their love is fiercer than guns. More powerful than fistfuls of money. I can walk away because of them. Officer McHugh? I want to thank you again for letting me see this through. I know my peace of mind is far from your concern, but I appreciate it anyway.”